NORMAN - Obviously Unrehearsed Improv! will be performing this Saturday, December 9th, in the Oklahoma Memorial Union on the University of Oklahoma's Norman campus. The show is scheduled to begin at 8pm in the Union's Will Rogers Room on the 1st floor, next to the food court. This will be the last of the Fall 2006 Season's three public shows. The performance will feature a variety of short-form, long-form, and musical improv. For more information or to make special arrangements contact Marcy Fleming at 413-0162 or E-Mail [log in to unmask] Continuing a tradition of creating new and innovative original structures, the troupe will be debuting two new forms at this performance, Musical Chairs and Band Reunion, an O.U. Improv! original. Veteran member and troupe co-founder Clint Vrazel describes the new forms: "Musical Chairs is very much inspired by the traditional game, but with a twist! In this version our musicians will play a different song style suggested by the audience each round and whoever is left standing without a chair when the music stops has to sing a song in that style of music on a theme, also suggested by the audience." Band Reunion is a long-form structure loosely inspired by shows like VH1 Storytellers and Behind The Music. "Working off suggestions from the audience we will create the story of a famous band that has come back together for a reunion concert after breaking up years earlier. Over the course of the story, we'll flash back and see all the different phases of the band's career, the struggles at the beginning, the interpersonal feuds, dealing with success and fame, and of course we'll perform all the hit songs from their career!" said Vrazel. "The initial inspiration came from a troupe called American Dream that we saw perform in Chicago. In their version it's the reunion of a sketch comedy troupe. We thought that transposing it into the music world opened a lot of possibilities dramatically not to mention it gives us the opportunity to feature our musicians in a long-form structure." Vrazel added, "Both of these new forms are designed to take advantage of the talents of our new musicians Thomas Rousson (Keyboards) and Kyle Reid (Guitar) along with our Music Director, Jay Edwards (Keyboard). We have such a killer musical section. They make it possible for us to go out there and make people believe that we're this band and we've played these songs thousands of times, even though this will be the first time and we're making it all up on the spot! Musical improv is very dangerous. It's not like a normal scene where you have a lot flexibility to change things or where you can fall back on support from other players. In a form like Band Reunion or Instant Musical, you can't cut away or shift the focus, you have to go out there and deliver a song. You're completely committed." Along with Band Reunion, the troupe will be performing another original form called Soundscapes. "In Soundscapes we get a suggestion for different kinds of environments from the audience and the players begin to create the sounds of that environment: ambient noise, machinery, bits of conversation. We're also acting out physically to create to the source of the sounds or different aspects of the environment. We start out abstract and move to something more concrete, as our sounds and actions begin to settle into a pattern and rhythm that shift and change and eventually morph into another setting all together," said Vrazel. Vrazel went on to add, "We're also performing a Harold for only the 2nd time in front of an audience. Sometimes described a sonata form of improv, the Harold is the progenitor of most contemporary long-form improv where variations on a theme grow, call-and-answer, intermingle, and come to a thematic resolution, and we've decided to tackle it head-on this semester. It's just one more way that we're always pushing the format and challenging ourselves to continually develop as performers. Some of us have been doing improv together for 7 years and it's still fresh and fun and interesting, which is a testament to the people involved. Like a lot of troupes, we started out doing a lot of short form improv like on Whose Line (Is It, Anyway?), but we weren't content to stay in that sandbox alone. While many troupes end up finding a niche or specializing in a certain style of improv, we do such a variety of styles and we're always out to try and master new forms to keep it interesting for ourselves as well the audiences." The troupe also just completed The Improv Institute, a series of eight weekly classes focused on teaching the skills and techniques behind the magic that is improvisational comedy and theater. One participant, Becky Myers, a freshman at OU said, "The Institutes have been so much fun. Not only have I learned more about the craft of improvisation, but I also learned a lot about myself. My comfort zone was stretched and my mind was opened. I have never laughed so hard! It is a liberating experience, the highlight of my week!" There are plans in development for the participants to perform at a public show. The Institute ran from October 8th to November 26th. During a regular semester, O.U. Improv! usually performs once a month, always on a Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union on the campus of OU. Performances last approximately 90 minutes and include a 10-minute intermission midway through the show. Audience participation is encouraged. Some content may not be suitable for everyone. For more information about the troupe, showtimes, booking information, and to watch videos of our performances go to our website: www.ouimprov.com. You can also sign up for regular E-Mail updates regarding upcoming shows and workshops. -- December 9th Playlist: OPENING Introduce the Players/Tableau 4-Square (4 people) Musical Chairs (4 people) NEW Monologues Only (5 people) Sound Effects (2 people + 2 audience) Harold (6 people) BREAK Soundscapes (6-8 people) Movie Director (4 people) That's My Story (4 people) Scene in a Rap (3 people) Band Reunion (4 people) - NEW Conclusory (everybody!) END ----- O.U. Improv! is an improvisational comedy and performance troupe that specializes in both short-form improv as seen in the hit show, Whose Line Is It, Anyway? and long-form narrative improv as seen in Chicago's Second City. We also have created a series of original games and structures that we feature regularly at our performances. We are based out of the campus of The University of Oklahoma, where we began 6 years ago and still perform regularly.* Improv is a fun and challenging art form that encourages creativity, imagination, and in-the-moment problem solving. It builds confidence and improves group dynamics by fostering an atmosphere of cooperation, support, and complete trust. And most importantly, IT'S FUN!!! The troupe's core players come from a diverse background and represent a wide variety of academic and professional disciplines. We currently count among our ranks majors in Adult and Higher Education, Biochemistry, Drama, Film and Video Studies, German, History, International and Area Studies, Linguistics, Math, Music, Nursing, Political Science, and Law. O.U. Improv! entertains thousands of people at over 50 events yearly, including public performances at OU, private shows booked with clients across the state, several charity events including Relay for Life, and public and private workshops that encourage creativity and teambuilding where we combine elements of music, theater and group play to build community and to foster a challenging, fun and relaxing outlet for expression. In 2003, the troupe produced a children's theater workshop in conjunction with the Norman Community Theater. In 2004 they were featured in The Wall Street Journal for their one-of-kind election night watch party and variety show, Vote '04 Laughs. In 2005 they were voted in the top 5 theatrical troupes in the Oklahoma Gazette's Best of OKC reader's poll. That same year they led a series of workshops for the Pioneer Library system in conjunction with their summer reading program, "Laugh Out Loud." In 2006 they were voted the top performance troupe at the Oklahoma City-based Momentum Art Show. Last but certainly not least, the troupe had the distinct honor this spring of being a featured performer in the Implosion Improv Festival, part of the prestigious Chicago Improv Festival. ----- O.U. Improv! Spring 2007 Performances 01/20/07 - OMU Performance: 8:00PM, Meacham Auditorium 02/24/07 - OMU Performance: 8:00PM, Governors Room 03/31/07 - OMU Performance: 8:00PM, Governors Room 05/05/07 - OMU Performance: 8:00PM, Governors Room *Outside its status as a registered student organization at OU as granted by UOSA, O.U. Improv! is in no way endorsed by or representative of The University of Oklahoma, its partners, or affiliates. ### ------------------------------------------------------------ You are recieving this message because you are subscribed to the OU Improv! listserv. To unsuscribe go to http://lists.ou.edu and search for OUIMPROV-L and select unsuscribe. 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